Category Archives: Bluegrass

Record Store Day 2021 – Americana and Roots Music Picks

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Record Store Day has revealed its list of releases for the 2021 season. The releases will follows the 2020 pattern of spreading out releases over multiple days in response to the pandemic which, in this case will be 6/12 and 7/17, instead of the usual one day its usual April occurrence event.

This year’s batch of releases includes the usual mix of reissues, rarities, and notable exclusives.

Highlights include 2 releases by John Prine, one a curated collection of songs from the Oh Boy Records catalog by independent record stores and the other a live recording from New York City’s Other End from December 1975.

So, get to your favorite indy record store early (I’ll be at Good Records in Dallas) and share those great finds with me on Instagram and Twitter.

See the full list of Record Store Say releases here.

June 12th releases

THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA – I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to Be Free
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Single Lock Records
Quantity: 1200
The Blind Boys of Alabama are among the most premier artists of the gospel world. Bela Fleck is among the most premier artists of the bluegrass world. Together, they have earned 20 Grammy Awards and scores of other accolades. For RSD Drops 2021, The Blind Boys of Alabama and Bela Fleck have joined together for a special 7″ 45RPM vinyl release.

On the A-side, they cover “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free”, the Billy Taylor and Dick Dallas classic made famous by Nina Simone. The song continues to be an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement. On the B-side, the Blind Boys bring “See By Faith” to a physical format for the first time. A bonus track to their acclaimed LP, Almost Home, “See By Faith” is a previously unreleased Bob Dylan-penned track.

STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES / JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE – The Saint of Lost Causes
ormat: 7″ Vinyl
Label: New West Records
Quantity: 2000
In the winter of 2021, Steve Earle & The Dukes released J.T., an eleven-song recording that consists of ten Justin Townes Earle songs and one Steve Earle original. The album was released to critical acclaim and Steve Earle’s proceeds from the record are continually being directed to a trust for his granddaughter, Etta (Justin’s daughter). In honor of Justin Townes Earle and the record his father recorded, New West is proud to present a split 7″ featuring two versions of an indelible Justin’ Townes Earle song. The double A-side single features “The Saint Of Lost Causes.” as performed by Justin from his 2019 album of the same name as well as Steve Earle & The Dukes’ version from the J.T. release. This split 7” single will be pressed on yellow vinyl and limited to 3,500 copies worldwide.
Side 1A “The Saint Of Lost Causes” – Steve Earle & The Dukes
Side 2A “The Saint Of Lost Causes” – Justin Townes Earle

SARAH JAROSZ – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For/my future
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Rounder Records
Quantity: 1200
Sarah Jarosz puts her own unique stamp on songs by Billie Eilish and U2 on this 12″ single. Side B etching.
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For/my future

MARIA MCKEE – High Dive
Format: 2 x LP
Label: Afar
Quantity: 500
Essential re-issue of High Dive, Maria McKee’s post-Geffen return from 2003, pressed on double vinyl. This is the first time this album has been released on vinyl and it is an essential collector’s item for fans of McKee.
The Open Spaces / Life Is Sweet / After Life / Be My Joy / High Dive / My Friend Foe / In Your Constellation / Love Doesn’t Love / We Pair Off / No Gala / Non Religious Building / Something Similar / From Our T.V.Teens To The Tomb / Worry Birds

JONI MITCHELL – Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1 (1963-1967): Highlights
Format: LP
Label: Rhino / Joni Mitchell Archives
Quantity: 5500
Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1 (1963-1967): Highlights is an exclusive LP, featuring highlights from the first volume of the ongoing Joni Mitchell Archives series. The release – which has been supervised by Joni Mitchell – features rare home recordings, live performances, and radio broadcasts recorded between 1963 and 1967. Pressed on 180gram vinyl, exclusively for RSD Drops 2021. Strictly limited to 15000 copies worldwide.

July 17th releases

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND – The Final Note
Format: 2 x LP
Label: Allman Brothers Band Recording Company
Quantity: 9000
Live Recording of Duane Allman’s last performance, from 10-17-71 at Painters Mill Music Fair in Owings Mill, MD
Additional unreleased bonus track, “Stormy Monday”, from Austin, TX, 1971.
Pressed on limited edition Black & White swirl vinyl as part of RSD Drops.

Statesboro Blues/Trouble No More/Don’t Keep Me Wondering/Done Somebody Wrong/One Way Out/In Memory of Elizabeth Reed/Hot ‘lanta/Whipping Post/Stormy Monday

CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG = Déjà vu Alternates
Format: LP
Label: Atlantic
Quantity: 10000
Déjà Vu Alternates from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young is a recreation of their immensely popular second album, Déjà Vu, featuring alternate versions of songs which appeared on the original album. The iconic album which featured “Teach Your Children,” “Woodstock,” “Our House” and “Helpless” will showcase these alternate versions on vinyl for the first time. It will also feature a cover that mirrors the original album with an alternate photo from the cover shoot. Pressed on 180g black vinyl, exclusively for RSD Drops 2021. Strictly Limited to 10,000 copies worldwide.

DR. JOHN, THE NIGHT TRIPPER – The Sun, Moon & Herbs Deluxe 50th Anniversary Edition
Format: 3 x LP
Label: Run Out Groove
Quantity: 3000
Deluxe and limited 50th anniversary edition of Dr. John’s fourth studio album for Atco Records. Three LP expanded release with deluxe packaging and new liner notes featuring over 70 minutes of previously unreleased material on two discs, recorded during the 1971 album sessions and making a physical debut for RSD Drops. Only one track from the bonus material was previously available on the limited Run Out Groove vinyl release: Dr. John: Professor Bizarre’s Funknology.

1.Black John The Conqueror 2. Where Ya At Mule 3. Craney Crow 4. Familiar Reality-Opening 5. Pots On Fiyo (Filé Gumbo) / Who I Got To Fall On (If The Pot Get Heavy) 6. Zu Zu Mamou 7. Familiar Reality-Reprise 8. Home Boy, Show Me The Way Back Home (take 1)* 9. Free From the Beast (take 1)* 10. Headin’ A Little Closer To My Home (take 2)* 11. Jungle (take 2)* 12. Trip City (edits of takes 4&7)* 13. Strictly Off The Wall, Look What You’ve Done 14. Unknown Jam* 15. Fish Dance* 16. Catfish Soiree Medley* 17. Burning* 18. Numerology* 19. Where Ya At Mule (alternate take)*
*=previously unreleased

BOB DYLAN – Jokerman / I And I Remixes
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Legacy
Quantity: 7000
This 12” features two reggae remixes each of “Jokerman” and “I And I”, by Doctor Dread. The original versions of both tracks appeared on Dylan’s Infidels album, with Sly & Robbie as the rhythm section. The two “I And I” remixes were previously released on Is It Rolling Bob: A Reggae Tribute To Bob Dylan (2003) ,while the “Jokerman” remixes are newly commissioned and previously unreleased. Doctor Dread has worked with Bob Marley, Black Uhuru, Jimmy Cliff, Inner Circle, Gregory Isaacs, Luciano, Mad Cobra, Freddy McGregor, Sly and Robbie, Steel Pulse, The Wailers and many others.

Side A: 1. “Jokerman [Reggae Remix]” 2. “Jokerman [Instrumental Dub]”
Side B: 1. “I and I [Reggae Remix]” 2. “I and I [Reggae Dub]”

JOHN FOGERTY – Blue Ridge Rangers EP
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: BMG
Quantity: 2500
This special release combines two key singles from John Fogerty’s 1973 debut solo album The Blue Ridge Rangers on a limited edition Blue vinyl 12” single. The two singles included are the classics “Jambalaya (On The Bayou)” backed with “Hearts Of Stone” Also included are the original B-sides “Workin’ On A Building” and “Somewhere Listening (For My Name)”
Featuring replications of the original artwork from both singles, one on each side.

BOBBIE GENTRY – The Windows of the World
Format: LP
Label: Capitol Nashville
Quantity: 2500
Bobbie’s journey from country singer-songwriter to blue eyed soul diva stopped off at a hitherto unknown destination along the way. Before she arrived at Muscle Shoals to work her magic with the late great Rick Hall, Bobbie cut a laid back album of classic and contemporary jazz tunes that was abandoned before it had chance to see the light of day. This was a shame, as Bobbie proves herself as adept in this genre as in any other. This self-produced collection first saw the light of day on the Bobbie Gentry boxset, but this lost album deserves to have its own separate release and what better format than vinyl? The set exudes a sophisticated and intimate late-night vibe mostly featuring Bobbie alone with her guitar accompanied by a bass player; occasionally there is a whisper of strings from Jimmie Haskell who famously composed the cello and violin arrangement on Ode to Billie Joe. Gentry fans will find much to love in Bobbie’s short lived but brilliant turn as a jazz singer. The original 8 tracks to be supplemented by the ‘I Didn’t Know’ and ‘Hushabye Mountain’ demos recorded around the same time, this LP also features the previously unreleased Hushabye Mountain [alternate version].

Suppertime
God Bless The Child
Since I Fell For You
Here’s That Rainy Day
I Didn’t Know [demo]
Hushabye Mountain [Demo]
Stormy
Save Your Love For Me
This Girl’s in Love With You
The Windows of the World
Hushabye Mountain (previously unreleased)

THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS – Undercover
Format: LP
Label: Americana Vibes
Quantity: 1200
The Infamous Stringdusters are releasing a compilation of cover songs never-before released on vinyl for RSD Drops 2021. These songs have been played live in many instances, and were at once point released individually, so this will be a treat to band fans and vinyl collectors alike. The Infamous Stringdusters won three awards at the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards Ceremony in October 2007: Emerging Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for Fork in the Road (in a tie with J.D. Crowe & the New South’s album Lefty’s Old Guitar), and Song of the Year for the album’s title cut. The band was also nominated for 2011 Entertainer of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association. In 2011, “Magic No. 9” (from Things That Fly) was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance. In 2018, they won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album.

1. Just Like Heaven
2. Golden
3. Jessica
4. What’s Going On
5. Get Lucky
6. Big River
7. Highwayman
8. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright
9. Fearless
10. American Girl

JOHNNY PAYCHECK – Uncovered: The First Recordings
Format: LP
Label: Lightning Rod Records
Quantity: 2000
Early in Johnny Paycheck’s pre-fame career, he toured as a sideman and bassist for George Jones in the early 1960s. At that time, he entered a recording studio in an attempt to secure a record deal as a solo artist. The recordings have been long forgotten and unheard until now. The Adams Brothers, who gained notoriety on Mike Judge’s Tales From The Tour Bus episode on Paycheck, produced the songs and worked as Paycheck’s band. These recordings showcase Paycheck’s considerable talent long before the music world took notice. Paycheck performs songs by some of country music’s most iconic songwriters such as Cowboy Jack Clement, Mel Tillis, and Bill Anderson. Step back in time and listen to uncovered country music history.
Family Bible / I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name / A Girl I Used To Know / Me and My Heart and My Shoes / Long Black Limousine / Kissing Your Picture (Is So Cold) / Miller’s Cave / Heartbreak Eve

JOHN PRINE – Stay Independent: The Oh Boy Years Curated By Indie Record Stores
Format: LP
Label: Oh Boy Records
Quantity: 3000
A collection of songs from the Oh Boy Records catalog curated by independent record stores.
Side 1: 1) In Spite of Ourselves 2) All The Best 3) Summer’s End 4) Some Humans Ain’t Human
Side 2: 1) Sins of Memphisto 2) Lonesome Friends of Science 3) It’s A Big Old Goofy World 4) When I Get To Heaven

JOHN PRINE – Live At The Other End, December 1975
Format: 4 x LP
Label: Atlantic
Quantity: 8500
In December 1975, Grammy award-winning songwriter John Prine played three nights at The Other End (previously and now known as The Bitter End) in Greenwich Village, NYC. The acoustic performances featured some of his best-known songs such as “Angel From Montgomery” and “Hello In There”, from his first four studio albums: John Prine (1971), Diamonds In The Rough (1972), Sweet Revenge (1973) and Common Sense (1975). These rare and previously unreleased solo performances—comprising two full sets—will now be made available, pressed on 180g black vinyl, exclusively RSD Drops 2021. Strictly limited to 12000 copies worldwide.

ST. PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES – Half The City Live
Format: LP
Label: St Paul & The Broken Bones
Quantity: 1000
I remember the heat that day burning through my JCPenney’s suit that I bought just the day before for our show at Avondale Brewing Company in Birmingham. 100 degree temperature outside in the dead of summer in Alabama is not uncommon. I was pouring sweat alongside people who had just met that day for the first time to play a show under the name St. Paul & The Broken Bones. I hated my name being in the band’s name but who cared at that point, it was just a fling. Now, over 8 years later, we built a career out of it.

Heartworn Highways To Be Shown Nationwide via Kino Marquee Starting Feb. 5th

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HEARTWORN HIGHWAYS

In the mid-‘70s, filmmaker James Szalapski traveled to Texas’ Hill Country and Tennessee to capture musical white lightening in a bottle. From high school gymnasiums, trailer homes, recording studios to a liquor-fueled Christmas guitar pull in Guy and Susanna Clarks dining room, now legendary performers – Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Young, David Allan Coe, a 19-year-old Steve Earle and many others are shown crafting a genre by looking towards country music’s folk roots and away from Music Row’s glitz.

Musical highlights include Clark’s brilliant “Desperados Waiting For A Train,” Steve Earle’s stirring “Mercenary Song” and Townes Van Zandt’s gut-wrenching “Waiting Around To Die.” (see videos below)

Though filmed in the late 70’s the full documentary was not released theatrically until 1981 and has been notoriously difficult to watch in its entirety. If you’ve never seen it in its entirety now you’ll have a chance. Starting Feb 5 Heartworn Highways will be in Virtual Cinemas nationwide via Kino Marquee.

Visit Kino Marquee here

Guy Clark – “Desperados Waiting For A Train”:

Steve Earle – “Mercenary Song”:

Townes Van Zandt – “Waiting Around To Die”

Wanted! – Notable Americana and Roots Music Releases for 2021

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Lucero – When You Found Me (Jan. 29)

Most of 2020 to right now live music is largely put on hold, but plenty of artists are still finding ways to create. Time off the road and spent at home has meant hardship. but it’s also meant creative ways artists delivered performances to you at home and also time to reflect, write and record new music, which in turn means that fans can expect new albums from some of their favorite country, Americana, bluegrass and folk artists in 2021.

Despite 2020 being the worst year in most of our lifetime some great music still released to take a bit of the edge off.

2021 starts off right with releases from Steve Earle honoring the passing of Justin Townes Earle. We can also look forward to new releases from Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Langhorne Slim, Lucero, Aaron Lee Tasjan and many more.

Then there are yet-to-be-announced release dates for James McMurtry and others. Bookmark and check back to this list as we will update those add other releases as they come in.

Also if you know of a release not on the list feel free to add it in the comments below.

Thanks for keeping up with Twang Nation and here’s to a better 2021!

January
Jan. 1: Kandle & Kendel – ‘Birds’ EP (Neil Young Covers)
Jan. 4: Steve Earle & The Dukes – ‘J.T.’ (digital)
Jan. 8: Barry Gibb – ‘Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook, Vol. 1’
Jan. 8: The Divorcees – ‘Drop of Blood’
Jan. 22: Jeremiah Fraites (Lumineers) – ‘Piano Piano’
Jan. 22: Justin Moses – ‘Fall Like Rain’
Jan. 29: Langhorne Slim – ‘Strawberry Mansion’
Jan. 29: Lucero – ‘When You Found Me’
Jan. 29: Pony Bradshaw – ‘Calico Jim’
Jan. 29: John Hurlbut & Jorma Kaukonen – ‘The River Flows’

February
Feb. 5: Aaron Lee Tasjan – ‘Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!’
Feb. 5: Aaron Watson – ‘American Soul’
Feb. 5: Andrew Marlin (of Mandolin Orange) — ‘Witching Hour’
Feb. 17 Jim Keller – ‘By No Means’
Feb. 19: Austin Meade – ‘Black Sheep’
Feb. 19: Spencer Burton- ‘Coyote’
Feb. 19: Andrew Marlin (of Mandolin Orange) — ‘Fable & Fire’
Feb. 19: Catherine Britt – Home Truths
Feb. 19: Ian Fisher – American Standards
Feb. 19: The Dead South – Served Live
Feb. 19: David Olney and Anana Kay – ‘Whispers And Sighs’
Feb. 19: John Paul Keith – The Rhythm of the City
Feb. 19: Veronica Lewis –You Ain’t Unlucky
Feb. 26: Willie Nelson – ‘That’s Life’ (Willie’s second release of Frank Sinatra covers.)
Feb. 26: Clint Roberts – ‘Rose Songs’
Feb. 26: David Huckfelt -‘Room Enough
Feb. 26: Sara Petite – ‘Rare Bird’

March
March 5: Ottoman Turks – ‘Ottoman Turks II’
March 5: Jason Ringenberg (Jason and the Scorchers) – ‘Rhinestoned’
March 5: Graham Wilkinson – ‘Cuts So Deep’
March 12: Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno – ‘Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno’
March 12: Peter Case – ‘The Midnight Broadcast’
March 12:Southern Culture On The Skids – ‘At Home With Southern Culture On The Skids’
March 12 Valerie June – ‘The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers’
March 12 Israel Nash – ‘Topaz’
March 19: Loretta Lynn – ‘Still Woman Enough’
March 19: Austin Meade – ‘ Black Sheep’ (DEBUT)
March 19: Rob Leines – ‘Blood Sweat and Beers’
March 19: Steve Earle & The Dukes – ‘J.T.’ (physical)
March 19: Mike Barnett – ‘+1’
March 19: Melissa Carper – ‘Daddy’s Country Gold’
March 19: Loretta Lynn – ‘Still Woman Enough’
March 19: Mike Barnett – +1
March 19: Sarah King – The Hour
Joe Pug – The Diving Sun (Side A)
March 19: Mandy Rowden – Parachute
March 19: Janet Simpson – Safe Distance
March 21: Allison Russell – ‘Outside Child’
March 25: The Armadillo Paradox – “Out of Gas in Oil Country”
March 26: Sara Watkins – ‘Under the Pepper Tree’
March 26: Esther Rose – ‘How Many Times’

April
April 9: Parker Millsap – ‘Be Here Instead’
April 16: Triston Marez – ‘Triston Marez’
April 20: Coleman Williams – “Son of Sin”
April 23: Todd Snider – ‘First Agnostic Church of Hope And Wonder’
April 30: Ashley Monroe – ‘Rosegold’
April 30: Ronnie Milsap – ‘A Better Word for Love’

May
May 7: Ted Russell Kamp – ‘Solitaire’
May 7: Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram & Jon Randall – ‘The Marfa Tapes’
May 7: Travis Tritt – ‘Set in Stone’
May 14: Alan Jackso – ‘Where Have You Gone’
May 14: The Steel Woods – ‘All of Your Stones’
May 28: Ashley McBryde – ‘Never Will: Live From a Distance’ EP
May 28: Blackberry Smoke, – ‘You Hear Georgia’
May 28: Rider & Rolling Thunder – ‘On the Banks of the Tennessee’

June
June 4: Turner Cody & The Soldiers of Love – ‘Friends in High Places’
June 18: Amy Helm – ‘What the Flood Leaves Behind’
June 11: Oak Ridge Boys – ‘Front Porch Singin”
June 11: Cory Grinder and the Playboy Scouts – ‘Honky Tonkin’ Beauty Supreme’
June 18: Rory Feek – ‘Gentle Man’
June 25: JP Harris – ‘Dreadful Wind and Rain’

July
July 9: The Flatlanders – ‘Treasure of Love’

August
August 27: Jason Eady – ‘To The Passage of Time’
August 27: Summer Dean – ‘Bad Romantic’

TBA

Sturgill Simpson Surprises Again With “Cuttin’ Grass Vol 2. (Cowboy Arms Sessions)” Release

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If you were thinking to yourself “Self, I sure do loveSturgill Simpson’s “Cuttin’ Grass Vol 1. The Butcher Shoppe Sessions” but wouldn’t it be great if he did another one in a few weeks?”

Well you greedy bastard you got your wish. News trickled in the socials last night that Sturgill had a new album out. Given his penchant for tomfoolery I’m hesitant to bite on early Sturgill news. But just as he did with the first Volume, Volume. 2 (Cowboy Arms Sessions) had populated across streaming platforms as a surprise, more personal release.

Simpson said in a statement about the project: “On Volume 2, we recorded everything I was too afraid to do on Volume 1. It’s hard to deny that this is a much more intimate offering. I was thinking about my kids, my grandfather, my wife.” Vol. 2 features a returning crew of celebrated bluegrass players who were also involved in Vol. 1, including mandolin player Sierra Hull, guitarist Tim O’Brien, and fiddler Stuart Duncan.

“Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 2” gives us toe-tapping version of “You Can Have The Crown” that had previously retired from his live shows performing. There’s the inclusion of “Jesus Boogie” and “Oh Sarah” from his earlier band Sunday Valley. Simpson debuts two new cuts on the record: “Tennessee” and a “Cowboy” Jack Clement tribute album closer “Hobo Cartoon,” billed as a co-write with late country legend Merle Haggard. The album also interprets a half-dozen songs from Simpson’s 2016 record “A Sailor’s Guide To Earth.”

Again joining Sturgill on the release is the hot-shot bluegrass band, dubbed the “Hillbilly Avengers,”fiddler Stuart Duncan, guitarist Tim O’Brien, mandolinist Sierra Hull, drummer Miles Miller, bassist Mike Bub and Scott Vestal and Mark Howard on banjo. David Ferguson produced the album.

Order “Cuttin’ Grass Vol 2.” pre-release.

“Cuttin’ Grass Vol 2. (Cowboy Arms Sessions)” Track List:

1. Call To Arms
2. Brace for Impact (Live a Little)
3. Oh Sarah
4. Sea Stories (Sunday Valley cut)
5. Hero
6. Welcome To Earth (Pollywog)
7. Jesus Boogie (Sunday Valley cut)
8. Keep It Between The Lines
9. You Can Have The Crown
10. Tennessee
11. Some Days
12. Hobo Cartoon written with Merle Haggard)

Sturgill Simpson’s Keeps His Bluegrass Promise This Friday

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Photo via Sturgill Simpson Instagram
Photo via Sturgill Simpson Instagram

In the worst kept secret in current days Sturgill Simpson is set to release his first solo bluegrass album, titled ‘Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1: The Butcher Shoppe Sessions,’ on Friday, October 16th.

The album of 20 reworked songs from his back catalog was recorded at The Butcher Shoppe recording studio in Nashville after the ongoing pandemic skuttled his arena tour with fellow Kentuckian Tyler Childers.
Sturgill’s ace band for the project is fiddler Stuart Duncan, guitarist Tim O’Brien, mandolinist Sierra Hull, drummer Miles Miller, bassist Mike Bub and Scott Vestal and Mark Howard on banjo. David Ferguson produced the album.

The project is Simpson keeping his promise to record an album if fans raised money for Nashville tornado relief, the Special Forces Foundation, the Equity Alliance and MusiCares’ COVID-19 fund.

During his livestream concert at the Ryman Auditorium earlier this year, Simpson confirmed his listeners raised nearly $250,000 in a week.

The LP — which follows Simpson’s 2019 album Sound and Fury — was meant to be a surprise release this coming Thursday before fans caught wind of ‘Cuttin’ Grass’’ early listing on an online streaming site.

Welp,..was hoping to surprise everybody on Thursday but somebody somewhere (Germany) got all excited and just couldn’t hold their horses,” Simpson wrote on Instagram. “These are how these songs were originally written and I decided — after climbing the ropes of country music stardom and completely destroying that career to make a rock ‘n’ roll record — I have great ambitions of a life of gravel lots and Porta Potties. I’m gonna be a bluegrass musician,” Sturgill proclaimed during a livestream originating from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in June featuring bluegrass renditions of his tunes as per The Tennessean.

The cat was let out of the bag by HighResAudio.comb that “got all excited and just couldn’t hold their horses,” per Simpson.

The cover art for the LP (no, really):

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGTGYnCF53t/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1 – The Butcher Shoppe Sessions Tracklist
All Around You
All the Pretty Colors
Breakers Roar
I Don’t Mind
I Wonder
Just Let Go
Life Ain’t Fair
A Little Light
Life of Sin
Long White Line
Living the Dream
Old King Coal
Railroad of Sin
Sitting Here Without You
Sometimes Wine
The Storm
Time After All
Turtles All the Way Down
Voices
Water in a Well

Americana Music Association Announces Streaming ‘Thriving Roots’ Conference

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Thriving Roots

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has rolled the music industry keeping musicians from coming together together to create music and keeping musicians off the road and deriving them of a much-needed revenue source. Many have tackled the technical hurdles to stream performances to connect with fans and collect online tips and perhaps move a t-shirt or a slab of vinyl.

It follows that music festivals would follow much the same path. Americana Music Association’s AmericanaFest as a face-to-face event has been scrapped for their charitable and educational branch, the Americana Music Association Foundation, will hold a ‘Thriving Roots,’ a virtual festival complete with industry-focused panels and live-streamed performances.

Set for September 16th-18th the event will include guest speakers Jackson Browne, Mavis Staples,Brandi Carlile, Yola, Emmylou Harris, Ken Burns, Taj Mahal, Mary Gauthier, Rhiannon Giddens, T Bone Burnett, Rosanne Cash, and Black Pumas. Topics slated to be covered are representation, advocacy and staying true to your art, the healing qualities of music, and the business challenges and decisions faced by a developing artist.

The full agenda for ‘Thriving Roots’ will be announced in late August.

Early bird passes for conference registration are $99 and available now.

Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton Live Recordings To Be Released This Spring

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Doc Watson

Yes, the shiny new stuff is fun to look forward to. But we do well to remember the elders that paved the sonic highways leading to the music we still love today.

Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton are just such pioneering elders. Watson went on to become a legend in the late 50’s early 60s folk scene and his guitar style influenced luminaries as Bob Dylan to Ry Cooder and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. They were part of a wave that brought the austere aesthetic of the hills and plains to the coffee house youch hungry for something “real.”

On May 29 Smithsonian Folkways will give us a chance to hear what those caffeinated kids were experiencing. “Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton” is the title of the upcoming new album of old-time music produced from archival recordings consisting of largely unheard tapes that were recorded at Doc Watson’s two earliest concerts, presented in New York City’s Greenwich Village in 1962. Those shows were among the rare appearances Doc’s father-in-law, Appalachian fiddler Gaither Carlton, made outside of North Carolina. The instrumental pieces, including Gaither’s signature tune “Double File,” include intricate musical interactions developed through years of family music-making. On the songs and ballads, Doc’s instantly recognizable baritone voice is accompanied by his own guitar and Gaither’s fiddle, or by the traditional combination of fiddle and banjo. Shortly after these recordings were made, Doc Watson embarked on a career as one of America’s premier acoustic guitarists, earning the National Medal of Arts and eight Grammy Awards.

And we’re proud to announce this on Doc Watson’s birthday!

From the presser:

It’s hard to imagine a time when the brilliant guitar playing and Appalachian roots of Doc Watson weren’t a part of the American musical fabric. A famed artist in his day and a continuing influence on American music, Watson happened into the music industry much by accident, “discovered” by noted folklorist Ralph Rinzler in the early 1960s when he was mainly playing rockabilly tunes on the electric guitar near his home in tiny Deep Gap, North Carolina. Rinzler convinced Watson that audiences around the country were interested in the older music of Appalachia, and the nation soon fell in love with his heartfelt, powerful singing and his inimitable acoustic guitar playing. He inspired countless people to pick up the guitar and learn to flatpick the old melodies, much of this encouragement coming in person after performances. It was at the first of these shows in New York, really Watson’s first time headlining a show in the city (the previous time he’d played there he was one of two guitarists in Clarence Ashley’s band), that we get to hear this old music played by Watson and his fiddling father-in-law, Gaither Carlton. These live recordings from 1962 are to be released May 29, 2020, by Smithsonian Folkways as Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton on CD, digital, and vinyl. Most of these tracks have never been released before, and the recordings capture two masters at the height of their power, reveling in an audience that was there to listen, not just to drink and dance. It’s a moment where the rural Appalachian world of North Carolina came face to face with the urban New York world of young people desperate to learn folk music and to learn more about the Southern traditions they’d been discovering. These recordings show two very different worlds coming together, buoyed by Watson’s charming personality and his willingness to teach all who would learn.

The recordings on Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton come from two concerts in New York City in October 1962; one concert at the NYU School of Education and the other at Blind Lemon’s (a folk club in the West Village that was gone the next week). Rinzler set up the concerts as Watson’s debut in New York, but it was a young Peter Siegel, barely 18 years old, who recorded both concerts. Siegel still lives in New York, and went on to many great projects in the years after this, founding the Nonesuch Explorer Series, producing more music with Watson, becoming head of A&R for Polydor, and later producing music with Paul Siebel, Tom Paxton, Roy Buchanan, and others. But during those wintery nights in New York in 1962 he was just a teenager with a recording device, and he captured something truly special. “Today there are all these great flatpicking guitarists we know about,” Siegel says. “Clarence White, Tony Rice, all kinds of people. Billy Strings too now. At that time, nobody had ever heard a folk guitar player play like that! In folk music, the guitar was an accompanying instrument, which was usually strummed in a specific way. So when Doc showed up, it blew my mind. It blew everyone’s mind!”

The music that Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton played on these recordings is not the powerhouse virtuosic guitar style Watson would later be known for; indeed he actually plays banjo on half the tracks. “This is family music with intricate interweaving of fiddle and guitar, or fiddle and banjo,” Siegel says. “This is the music that Doc and Gaither had been playing at home for the last twenty years. On this record you can hear the older stuff, you can hear flashes of brilliant guitar playing, but that’s not what the album is about.” Gaither Carlton was himself a fiddler of great power. His stately playing reflects the Scottish and Irish roots of the music, and he knew seminal old-time fiddlers from the 78rpm era, such as fiddler GB Grayson of Grayson & Whitter. Whereas Watson grew up in a household with a record player and access to the radio, later basing much of his music on songs he discovered over the airwaves, Carlton came from an older world and learned his music from his family and friends directly in his region of Appalachia. As Siegel says, “Gaither Carlton’s playing is a lot like his personality. He was very humble and soft-spoken. Now I listen to it again, I see he’s the soul of old-time music. He just brings out the essential quality of that music tradition.”
You can hear the love from the audiences at these concerts, and you can hear the love between Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton as they play, Watson encouraging Carlton with a “Fiddle it, son!” exclamation at one point. “These recordings were made,” as Siegel says, “at a particular time in Doc’s career when he’s just figuring out that people like to hear this old-time music. He couldn’t get arrested with this music in his hometown. If you listen to parts of this album, you can hear his surprise and happiness that the audience is responding in such a way. He’s clearly having a real good time.”

Pre-order Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton.

Wanted! – Notable Americana and Roots Music Releases for 2020

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2019 turned out to be another excellent year for Americana and roots music. Releases from John Paul White, Buddy and Julie Miller, Chuck Mead, Tanya Tucker, and many others were cause for celebration for the music we love. Roots radio continues to gain listeners and mainstream country radio continues to, occasionally, remember its roots and reflect the shift in tastes of a growing fan base.

But radio is just part of the story. We listened to this timeless music through the format du jour, streaming services. Spotify has several internally curated playlists for Americana and roots music ( The Pulse of Americana, Roots Rising,
Fresh Folk ) as well as my own semi-weekly playlist ‘Twang Nation Friday New Tunes Hayride Then there’s the vinyl boom which roots music artists and fans played a significant part.

2020 starts off right with releases from Gill Landry, Terry Allen, Maria McKee, Della Mae and Pinegrove with releases from John Moreland, The Lone Bellow, The Cadillac Three, and Aubrie Sellers releasing in February. Then there are yet-to-be-announced release dates for James McMurtry and others. Bookmark and check back to this list as we will update those dates and add other releases as we learn more.

Also if you know of a release not on the list feel free to add it below.

Thanks for keeping up with Twang Nation and happy 2020!

January
Jan. 10: Paul Kelly – Songs From the South 1985-2019
Jan. 10: Aerialists – “Dear Sienna”
Jan. 13: Maria McKee – ‘La Vita Nuova’
Jan. 13: Left Arm Tan – self-titled
Jan. 15: David Dondero – ‘The Filter Bubble Blues’
Jan. 17: Eleven Hundred Springs – ‘Here ‘Tis’
Jan. 17: Marcus King – ‘El Dorado’
Jan. 17: Marshall Crenshaw – ‘Miracle of Science’
Jan. 17: Pinegrove – ‘Marigold’
Jan. 17: The Innocence Mission – ‘see you tomorrow’
Jan. 17: Della Mae – ‘Headlight’
Jan. 17: Torgeir Waldemar – ‘Love’
Jan. 17: Fruition – ‘Broken at the Break of Day’
Jan. 17: Bill Fay – “Countless Branches”
Jan. 17: Dwight Yoakam – Blame The Vain (Vinyl Reissue)
Jan. 17: Buck Owens – ‘The Capitol Singles & Albums 1957-62’
Jan. 17: Buck Owens & Susan Raye / Very Best Of (Vinyl)
Jan.22: Vance Gilbert – ‘Good Good Man’
Jan.22: Gill Landry – ‘Love Rides A Dark Horse’
Jan 24: Terry Allen and the Panhandle Mystery Band – ‘Just Like Moby Dick’
Jan 24: Bonny Light Horseman – self-titled debut
Jan 24: Kailey Nicole – self-titled EP
Jan 24: Mrs. Henry Presents: ‘Live at the Casbah’
Jan 24: The Wood Brothers – ‘Kingdom in My Mind’
Jan 24: Bart Bugwig – ;Another Burn on the Astroturf’
Jan 24: The Haden Triplets – ‘The Family Songbook’
Jan 24: The Lil Smokies – ‘Tornillo’
Jan 24: Joy Mills Band – ‘Echolocator’
Jan 24: Kailey Nicole – self-titled
Jan 24: Steve Scott – ‘No Love For The Common Man’
Jan 24: Caitlin Sherman – ‘Death To The Damsel’
Jan 31: Dustbowl Revival – ‘Is It You, Is It Me’
Jan 31: Brian Johannesen – “Holster Your Silver”
Jan 31: Possessed By Paul James – ‘As We Go Wandering’
Jan 31: Tre Burt – ‘Caught It from the Rye’
Jan 31: Drive-by Truckers – ‘The Unraveling’
Jan 31: Cave Flowers – self-titled
Jan 31: Blackie & the Rodeo Kings – ‘King of This Town’
Jan 31: Sophie & The Broken Things – self-titled
Jan 31: Glenn Jones – ‘Ready For The Good Times’
Jan 31: Eric Brace & Last Train Home – ‘Daytime Highs and Overnight Lows’
Jan 31: RB Morris – ‘Going Back To The Sky’
Jan 31: Tomar & the FCs – ‘Rise Above’

February
Feb. 1: Glenn Jones Are You Ready For The Good Times
Feb. 7: Hank Williams – ‘Pictures From Life’s Other Side’
Feb. 7: John Moreland – “LP5”
Feb. 7: The Lone Bellow – “Half Moon Light”
Feb. 7: The Cadillac Three – “Country Fuzz”
Feb. 7: Aubrie Sellers – “Far From Home”
Feb. 7: Dom Flemons – ‘Prospect Hill: The American Songster Omnibus’
Feb. 7: Miss Tess – ‘The Moon Is an Ashtray’
Feb. 7: Darling West – ‘We’ll Never Know Unless We Try’
Feb. 7: Elkhorn – ‘The Storm Sessions’
Feb. 7: The Steeldrivers – “Bad For You’
Feb. 7: Frazey Ford – ‘U kin B the Sun’
Feb. 7: Corinne Sharlet – ‘Deceiver’ EP
Feb. 7: Chicago Farmer – ‘Flyover Country’
Feb. 7: David Allen – ‘Regrets and Retribution’
Feb. 7: Flyin’ A’s – ‘No Holds Barred’
Feb. 7: Supersuckers – ‘Play That Rock n’ Roll’
Feb. 7: William Prince – ‘Reliever’
Feb. 7: Frank & Allie Lee – ‘Treat A Stranger Right’
Feb. 7: Lynne Hanson – ‘Just Words’
Feb: 14: Phil Madeira – “Open Heart”
Feb. 14: Tami Neilson – CHICKABOOM!
Feb. 14: Robert Vincent – ‘In This Town You’re Owned’
Feb. 14: Jeremiah Johnson – ‘Heavens to Betsy’
Feb. 14: Little Misty – ‘Old Ghosts’
Feb. 14: The Third Mind – self-titled debut
Feb. 21: Nora Jane Struthers – “Bright Lights, Long Drives, First Words”
Feb. 21: Arik Dov – ‘The Man’ ep
Feb 28: The Secret Sisters – “Saturn Return”
Feb 28: Sierra Hull – ’25 Trips’
Feb 28: Pam Tillis – new album
Feb 28: Waco Brothers – ‘RESIST!’
Feb 28: Chelsea Lovitt – ‘You Had Your Cake, So Lie in It’
Feb 28: Avi Kaplan – ‘ I’ll Get By’

March
March 6: The Panhandlers – Josh Abbott, John Baumann, Cleto Cordero and William Clark Green – self-titled
March 6: The Mastersons- ‘No Time for Love Songs’
March 6: Brandy Clark – ‘Your Life is a Record’
March 6: Jim Lauderdale – ‘When Carolina Comes Home Again’
March 6: Will Sexton – ‘Don’t Walk the Darkness’
March 6: Green Leaf Rustlers – ‘Within Marin’
March 6: Aoife O’Donovan – ‘The Bull Frogs Croon (and Other Songs)’ EP
March 13: Dave Simonett (from Tramped By Turtles) – “Red Tail”
March 13: Sam Doores (of The Deslondes and formerly Hurray for the Riff Raff) – self-titled
March 13: Anna Lynch – ‘Apples in Fall’ EP
March 13: Outlaw Billy Don Burns -‘The Country Blues’
March 15: Sons of the Pioneers – ‘The Lost Masters’
March 20: Delta Rae – ‘The Light’
March 20: Carla Olson – ‘Have Harmony Will Travel 2’
March 27: Lilly Hiatt – ‘Walking Proof’
March 27: Marie Miller – ‘Little Dreams’
March 27: Kim Richey – ‘A Long Way Back: the Songs of Glimmer’
March 27: Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real – ‘Naked Garden’

April
April 3: Caleb Caudle – ‘Better Hurry Up’
April 3: The Nine Seas – ‘Dream of Me’
April 3: Ruthie Collins – ‘Cold Comfort’
April 3: Lisa Lambe – ‘Juniper’
April 3: Matthew McNeal – ‘Good Grief’
April 3: Christy Lynn Band – ‘Sweetheart of the Radio’
April 10: John Anderson – ‘Years’
April 10: Eliza Gilkyson – ‘2020’
April 10: Watkins Family Hour – ‘ brother sister’
April 17: Shelby Lynne – self-titled
April 17: The Reverend Shawn Amos – ‘Blue Sky’
April 17: Girl Skin – ‘Shade is on the other side’
April 17: The White Buffalo – ‘On The Widow’s Walk’
April 17: Joe Ely – ‘Love in the Midst of Mayhem’
April 20: Nicholas Jamerson – ‘The Wild Frontier’
April 24: Teddy Thompson – ‘Heartbreaker’
April 24: Sailing Stones – ‘Polymnia’
April 24: Lucinda Williams – “Good Souls Better Angels”
April 24: Whitney Rose – ‘We Still Go to Rodeos’
April 24: Corb Lund – ‘Agricultural Tragic’
April 24: Willie Nelson – ‘First Rose Of Spring’
April 24: The Lowest Pair – ‘The Perfect Plan’
April 24: Pam Tillis – ‘Looking for a Feeling’
April 24: Kyle LaLone – ‘Somewhere In Between’
April 26: Randy Rogers Band – ‘Hellbent’
April ?: Van Darien – ‘Levee’

May
May 1: Elijah Ocean – ‘Blue Jeans & Barstools’
May 1: Cayley Thomas – ‘How Else Can I Tell You?’
May 1: American Aquarium – ‘Lamentations’
May 8: Andrew Hibbard – self-titled
May 8: Liv Greene – ‘Every Bright Penny’
May 8: Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen – Hold My Beer Vol. 2
May 15: Chatham County Line – ‘Strange Fascination’
May 15: Chuck Prophet – ‘The Land That Time Forgot’
May 15: Jason Isbell – ‘Reunions’
May 15: Lesley Barth – “Big Time Baby”
May 22: Reckless Kelly – ‘American Girls’ & ‘American Jackpot’
May 22: Steve Earle & The Dukes – ‘Ghosts of West Virginia’
May 22: Jarrod Dickenson -“Ready The Horses”
May 29: Jake Blount – ‘Spider Tales’
May 29: Jaime Wyatt – ‘Neon Cross’

June
June 5: Sarah Jarosz – ‘World On The Ground’
June 5: Turkeyfoot – “Promise of Tomorrow”
June 12: Sammy Brue – ‘Crash Test Kid’
June 12: Pert Near Sandstone – “Rising Tide”
June 19: Grayson Capps – “South Front Street”
June 19: Neil Young – “Homegrown”
June 19: Bob Dylan – Rough and Rowdy Ways
June 19: Blackberry Smoke – Live From Capricorn Sound Studios
June 19: Darlin’ Brando – Also, Too…
June 19: Don Bryant – You Make Me Feel
June 19: Kristen Grainger & True North – ‘Ghost Tattoo’
June 26: Corb Lund – ‘Agricultural Tragic’
June 26: Country Westerns – ‘Country Westerns’
June 26: Scroggins & Rose – ‘Curios’
June 26: Emily Duff – ‘Born On The Ground’
June 26: Will Hoge – ‘Tiny Little Movies’
June 26: Arielle Silver – ‘A Thousand Tiny Torches’

July
July 10: The Jayhawks – “XOXO”
July 10: Joshua Ray Walker – “Glad You Made It”
July 10: Margo Price – ‘That’s How Rumors Get Started’
July 10: Ray Wylie Hubbard – “Co-Starring”
July 10: The Jayhawks – ‘XOXO’
July 17: The Texas Gentlemen – “Floor It!!!”
July 24: Ted Russell Kamp – ‘Down in the Den’
July 24: Lori McKenna – “The Balladeer’
July 31: Charley Crockett – “Welcome To Hard Times”

August
August 2: The Avett Brothers – ‘The Third Gleam’
August 7: Steven Bruce – ‘Same Time, Same Place, Same Station’
August 14: Kathleen Edwards – ‘Total Freedom’
August 21: The Old 97’s -“Twelfth”
August 21: Mandy Barnett – ‘A Nashville Songbook’
August 21: Cidny Bullens – ‘Walkin’ Through This World’
August 21: Robert Gordon – ‘Rockabilly For Life’
August 28: Karen Jonas – ‘The Southwest Sky and Other Dreams’
August 28: Zephaniah OHora – Listening to the Music
August 28: Colter Wall – Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs
August 28: Justin Wells – The United State
August 28: Moe Bandy – A Love Like That
August 28: The Reeves Brothers – The Last Honky Tonk
August 28: Heidi Newfield – The Barfly Sessions
August 28: The Allman Betts Band – Bless Your Heart
August 28: The Northern Belle – We Wither, We Bloom

September
September 4: Carolina Story – “Dandelion”
September 4: India Ramey – ‘Shallow Graves’
September 11: Elizabeth Cook – “Aftermath”
September 18: Fred Eaglesmith & Tif Ginn – ‘Alive’
September 18: Otis Gibbs – ‘Hoosier National’
September 18: Brennen Leigh – ‘Prairie Love Letter’

October

Novenmber
November 6: Madison Cunningham – ‘Wednesday’
November 6: Jackslacks – ‘When Pigs Fly’
November 6: Johnnie & Jack with The Tennessee Mountain Boys – ‘Collection 1945-62’
November 6: Larry Keel – ‘American Dream’
November 13: Chris Stapleton – ‘Starting Over’

TBA
Carla Olson
Will Sexton
Cidny Bullens
Marshall Chapman
The Claudettes
James McMurtry
Amelia White – produced by Kim Richey

Grammy Awards Nominees : Tanya Tucker Leads The Pack

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62nd Grammy Awards

Nominations for the 62nd Grammy Awards were announced Wednesday, and Taya Tucker led the country/roots music pack with four nominations in the Song Of The Year, Best Country Solo Performance, Best Country Song and Best Country Album categories. Tucker was first nominated for a Grammy for the song “Delta Dawn” in 1973.

Tucker shares her Best Country Solo Performance nomination spot with Tyler Childers, Ashley McBryde, and Willie Nelson. Best American Roots Performance nominees are Sara Bareilles, Calexico and Iron & Wine, Rhiannon Giddens With Francesco Turrisi and Yola.

Calexico And Iron & Wine, Madison Cunningham, Madison Cunningham, Keb’ Mo’, J.S. Ondara and Yola are up for Best Americana Album.

See the full list of country/Americana roots nominees below and see the complete list of nominees here.

The Grammy Awards will take place on January 26th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The broadcast will air live on CBS at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Song Of The Year
“Always Remember Us This Way” — Natalie Hemby, Lady Gaga, Hillary Lindsey & Lori McKenna, songwriters (Lady Gaga)
“Bad Guy” — Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
“Bring My Flowers Now” — Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker, songwriters (Tanya Tucker)
“Hard Place” — Ruby Amanfu, Sam Ashworth, D. Arcelious Harris. H.E.R. & Rodney Jerkins, songwriters (H.E.R.)
“Lover” — Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)
“Norman F—ing Rockwell” — Jack Antonoff & Lana Del Rey, songwriters (Lana Del Rey)
“Someone You Loved” — Tom Barnes, Lewis Capaldi, Pere Kelleher, Benjamin Kohn & Sam Roman, songwriters (Lewis Capaldi)
“Truth Hurts” — Steven Cheung, Eric Frederic, Melissa Jefferson & Jesse Saint John, songwriters (Lizzo)

Best Country Solo Performance:
“All Your’n” — Tyler Childers
“Girl Goin’ Nowhere” — Ashley McBryde
“Ride Me Back Home” — Willie Nelson
“God’s Country” — Blake Shelton
“Bring My Flowers Now” — Tanya Tucker

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:
“Brand New Man” — Brooks & Dunn with Luke Combs
“I Don’t Remember Me (Before You)” — Brothers Osborne
“Speechless” — Dan & Shay
“The Daughters” — Little Big Town
“Common” — Maren Morris ft. Brandi Carlile

Best Country Song:
“Bring My Flowers Now” — Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker, Songwriters (Tanya Tucker)
“Girl Goin’ Nowhere” — Jeremy Bussey & Ashley Mcbryde, Songwriters (Ashley Mcbryde)
“It All Comes Out In The Wash” — Miranda Lambert, Hillary Lindsey, Lori Mckenna & Liz Rose, Songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
“Some Of It” — Eric Church, Clint Daniels, Jeff Hyde & Bobby Pinson, Songwriters (Eric Church)
“Speechless” — Shay Mooney, Jordan Reynolds, Dan Smyers & Laura Veltz, Songwriters (Dan + Shay)

Best Country Album:
Desperate Man — Eric Church
Stronger Than The Truth — Reba McEntire
Interstate Gospel — Pistol Annies
Center Point Road — Thomas Rhett
While I’m Livin’ — Tanya Tucker

Best American Roots Performance:
“Saint Honesty” — Sara Bareilles
“Father Mountain” — Calexico With Iron & Wine
“I’m On My Way” — Rhiannon Giddens With Francesco Turrisi
“Call My Name” — I’m With Her
“Faraway Look” — Yola

Best American Roots Song:
“Black Myself” — Amythyst Kiah, songwriter (Our Native Daughters)
“Call My Name” — Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’donovan & Sara Watkins, songwriters (I’m With Her)
“Crossing To Jerusalem” — Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal, songwriters (Rosanne Cash)
“Faraway Look” — Dan Auerbach, Yola Carter & Pat Mclaughlin, songwriters (Yola)
“I Don’t Wanna Ride The Rails No More” — Vince Gill, songwriter (Vince Gill)

Best Americana Album:
Years To Burn — Calexico And Iron & Wine
Who Are You Now — Madison Cunningham
Oklahoma — Keb’ Mo’
Tales Of America — J.S. Ondara
Walk Through Fire — Yola

Best Bluegrass Album:
Tall Fiddler — Michael Cleveland
Live In Prague, Czech Republic — Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Toil, Tears & Trouble — The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Royal Traveller — Missy Raines
If You Can’t Stand The Heat — Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen

Best Folk Album:
My Finest Work Yet — Andrew Bird
Rearrange My Heart — Che Apalache
Patty Griffin — Patty Griffin
Evening Machines — Gregory Alan Isakov
Front Porch — Joy Williams

Best Song Written For Visual Media:
“The Ballad Of The Lonesome Cowboy” — Randy Newman, songwriter (Chris Stapleton); Track from: “Toy Story 4”
“Girl In The Movies” — Dolly Parton & Linda Perry, songwriters (Dolly Parton); Track from: “Dumplin’”
“I’ll Never Love Again (Film Version)” — Natalie Hemby, Lady Gaga, Hillary Lindsey & Aaron Raitiere, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper); Track from: A Star Is Born
“Spirit” — Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Timothy McKenzie & Ilya Salmanzadeh, songwriters (Beyoncé); Track from: “The Lion King”
“Suspirium” — Thom Yorke, songwriter (Thom Yorke); Track from: “Suspiria”

Best Album Notes:
The Complete Cuban Jam Sessions — Judy Cantor-Navas, album notes writer (Various Artists)
The Gospel According To Malaco — Robert Marovich, album notes writer (Various Artists)
Pedal Steel + Four Corners — Brendan Greaves, album notes writer (Terry Allen And The Panhandle Mystery Band)
Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection — Jeff Place, album notes writer (Pete Seeger)
Stax ’68: A Memphis Story — Steve Greenberg, album notes writer (Various Artists)

Best Historical Album:
The Girl From Chickasaw County – The Complete Capitol Masters — Andrew Batt & Kris Maher, compilation producers; Simon Gibson, mastering engineer (Bobbie Gentry)
The Great Comeback: Horowitz At Carnegie Hall — Robert Russ, compilation producer; Andreas K. Meyer & Jennifer Nulsen, mastering engineers (Vladimir Horowitz)
Kankyo Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental & New Age Music 1980-1990 — Spencer Doran, Yosuke Kitazawa, Douglas Macgowan & Matt Sullivan, compilation producers; John Baldwin, mastering engineer (Various Artists)
Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection — Jeff Place & Robert Santelli, compilation producers; Pete Reiniger, mastering engineer (Pete Seeger)
Woodstock: Back To The Garden – The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive — Brian Kehew, Steve Woolard & Andy Zax, compilation producers; Dave Schultz, mastering engineer, Brian Kehew, restoration engineer (Various Artists)

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical:
Jack Antonoff
Dan Auerbach
John Hill
Finneas
Ricky Reed

Sierra Hull Announces ‘Christmas Time Is Here’ Tour

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Roots music virtuoso Sierra Hull has announced her ‘Christmas Time Is Here’ tour. Each of the four tour stops she will partner with Toys for Tots and/or a local food bank– “seeking to ease the stress of the holidays for the less fortunate.” Each attending fan who donates an unwrapped toy, canned foods, or makes a monetary donation to the local food bank on-site will receive a free signed Weighted Mind (Hull’s latest release, a GRAMMY-nominated record) poster while supplies last. Together, with her band (Justin Moses, Kai Welch, Eddie Barbash, Ethan Jodziewicz, and Jamie Dick), Hull aims to bring Christmas joy to all– those attending the shows and those in need this December. See below for details on how to give in each market:

Dec. 7 — Sheldon Concert Hall — St. Louis, MO
(Toys for Tots, canned food, and monetary donations accepted
for St. Louis Area Foodbank)

Dec. 8 — Franklin Theatre — Franklin, TN
(Toys for Tots, canned food, and monetary
donations accepted for Second Harvest Food Bank)

Dec. 20 — Tangled String Studios — Huntsville, AL
(Monetary donations accepted for Food Bank of North Alabama)

Dec. 21 — Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts — Franklin, NC
(Toys for Tots, monetary donations accepted for Macon County Care Net)

For tickets and more information, please visit sierrahull.com.